Mairiuna, imagine receiving an enveloppe in the mail on which you would find postage stamps depicting Dragons, Unicorns, Pixies, Giants, Mermaids and Fairies ??!!!

It could happen for real you know, because Great Britain recently issued  a collection of six stamps, depicting “Mythical Creatures” found in British folklore.

These stamps were created exclusively for Royal Mail by Dave McKean, one of the most talented fantasy artist in the world.

Dave McKean’s imagination crafted intricate details on these dramatic stamp images and they would make a great gift for anyone appreciative of fantasy art.

Dave McKean

The essence of these mythical creatures are not only brought to life by Dave McKean’s great talent but short stories  for each stamp of the serie have also been created by fantasy author Neil Gaiman.

Even if Gaiman were making all this up, you would be inclined to believe him. But all his stamp stories, which are published here for the first time, start with long-held British folk beliefs as their original source.

“I felt that, if I was going to do this, I had to get my mythology right,” he says. “Days of research went into the unicorn story and the history of the ‘unicorn horn’ in the Tower of London. Plus there is that relationship throughout Britain between geography and mythology, which is why I loved doing the giants story. When you’re walking on English hills, you may actually be walking on them.”

Source:  Timesonline.co.uk

Photo Copyright: Paranormaldatabase.com

The beautiful dragon stamp reminds me of the story  The Meister Stoor Worm, a malevolent dragon-like creature in Orkney’s mythology.

Orkney - Scotiana.com - 2003

“In Orkney, off mainland Scotland (UK), the ‘Meister Stoor Worm’ menaced the local people but was finally overcome when an unnamed local threw a blazing pitch tipped with a spearhead down the throat. According to legend the corpse of the dragon was huge, so big in fact that as it was dying it spat it’s teeth out which became the Faroes it’s body became Iceland.”

It starts like this:

An air of mystery surrounded the origin of the Stoor Worm but it was generally believed that he had been hatched into life by a malignant spirit.

Wherever he came from, he was placed in the depths of the sea, where he was destined to become “one of the nine curses that plagued mankind”.

The Stoor Worm’s fetid breath was poisonous to any living thing, and he destroyed ships like eggshells.

Orkney Traditional Tales - Book 3 Source: Amazon.co.uk

With his massive forked tongue he could, at a whim, sweep entire cities into the sea or crush the largest castle and suck every living thing into his gaping mouth.

Whenever the Stoor Worm lay with his head near a kingdom it was expected that the people of that unfortunate land had to to satisfy his terrible hunger and supply the creature with food.

Every Saturday at sunrise, the Stoor worm would wake, open his cavernous mouth and yawn nine times. He would then demand a meal of seven virgins for as the old tales records: “although he was a venomous beast he had a dainty taste.”

Now, a long time ago, the Stoor Worm set his awful head near the shore of an ancient country and as usual, the folk of that country had to feed the beast every Saturday at sunrise.

Needless to say the unfortunate people of this land soon grew tired of giving up their daughters, watching them being devoured in the pitiless jaws of the worm so they took the advice of an old wizard. This wizard said to the folk that if the King’s daughter were fed to the Worm, he would leave and trouble them no more.

Talk soon,

Janice

Doon Hill Fairies - Scotiana.com - 2004

Take a look at the photos we’ve taken on Doon Hill.  Aren’t they a most touching expression of folk beliefs in our very materialistic world?  The Scottish touch of magic!  Mind you, that does not mean that the Scots are not a rationalistic people ! Think about their scientific performances.

Doon Hill Fairies Fairies-Scotiana.com-2004

To the question “Do you believe in fairies?”, I would certainly have answered YES to save the life of Tinker Bell in the story of Peter Pan and I’m inclined to believe that there is more beyond appearances than what we generally believe …

Doon Hill mysterious woodland-Scotiana.com-2006

In Scotland the frontier between the visible and invisible worlds seems to be thinner than elsewhere.  I remember asking our way to Doon Hill to a young man working at the Tourist Office in Aberfoyle. “You’re not going there at night ?”, he asked us with some anxiety.

Doon-Hill Trail - Scotiana.com -2004

In 2004, we went to Doon Hill at about 5 p.m. and we met nobody on our way up the hill and when we climbed it up again, in 2006,  it was past 9 pm and we were alone or, at least,  we didn’t see anyone, which doesn’t mean that there was nobody around us in the woods. The wind played gracefully on the little bells hanging in the trees. The atmosphere was silent and quiet. Quite pleasant. We’ve made a little film there. It’s not a very good one but it gives an idea of the place. We’ll insert it soon in our blog.

Doon Hill Hanging Bells -Scotiana.com-2004

Now, if we want to understand better the local legend we must  go back to its source and that leads us to Reverend Kirk’s life and writings.  Not only does the Reverend seem to have been a very learned man (he is the first one to have translated the Psalms in Gaelic)  but he also appears to have been a very open-minded minister. The Reverend used to listen to and note down  all his parishioners’ accounts of their supernatural experiences. This must have not only aroused the Reverend’s curiosity but also confirmed what he had always believed about the Other World.  Reverend Robert Kirk spent more than 20 years in Balquhidder parish,  from 1664 (aged 20)  to 1685 (aged 41) before moving back to the family manse, in Aberfoyle, where he stayed until his death, seven years later.

Balquhidder New & Ancient Churches - Scotiana.com- 2004

We first went to Balquhidder in 2004. It’s a very picturesque place and rich in history too. A nice little church has been built near the ruins of the ancient one and you can walk among very old graves (some of them are very beautiful)  in a most romantic churchyard. Of course, the most famous grave is that of  Rob Roy, just in front of the ancient church. Inside the church, we found many old religious memorabilia and also a book entitled Robert Kirk, Walker Between Worlds edited by R. J. Stewart.

Walker Between Worlds-R J Stewart-Ed 1990-Scotiana.com-2004

After our first incursion “au pays des fées”, at Doon Hill (or Fairy Knowe as the place is more commonly known), we wanted to know more about Reverend Kirk  but we didn’t find his book The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and  Faeries. The book had  not been published until 1815,  first by Sir Walter Scott and then by Andrew Lang. In Wigtown Byre Books shop we were said that the only book available there was a very expensive one. Of course, we didn’t buy it. Only recently did we search the web for the book and finally  found several interesting editions of The Secret Commonwealth.  Here are some of them.

Walker Between the Worlds-Edition 2007

First a new edition (2007) of the book we had seen in Balquhidder church. On the cover there is the coat of arms which can be seen on Robert Kirk’s grave, in Aberfoyle cemetery. We’ll try to know more about it.

The Secret Commonwealth Reverend Kirk- Facsimile Edition 2005

The above facsimile edition of the book has become rare but some other ones are still available.

A New Edition of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies

It’s not easy to make an idea about this Scottish legend though Janice has already said a lot of things about it in her last post. What we must try to keep in mind is that the facts date back to the 17 th century. That was a long long time ago and life must have been quite different from what we live today. The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Faeries is supposed to have been based on Reverend Kirk’s own experiences and observations. So, to begin let us read his book.

Bonne lecture ! A bientôt.

Doon Hill - Scotiana.com - 2006

Aberfoyle is only 30 miles away by road of Glasgow and as such, there is no reason one should not stop by to contemplate splendid views and discover the area that inspired Walter Scott ‘s Rob Roy novel.

But coming back to the 17th century and to Reverend Kirk, he was a firm believer of faeries. In 1681, to express his beliefs, he wrote a book : “The Secret Commonwealth Of Elves, Fauns and Faeries“, an essay on the nature of supernatural beings. This book was neither fiction and not for children.

Do you have this book Mairiuna? If not, we definitely need it  in Scotiana’s library.

The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies by Reverend Kirk, 1681

To give a brief overview of the life and work of Reverend Kirk, it was said that being born in 1644, the 7th son of a 7th son, it gave him psychic powers. He had the ability to call upon the supernatural beings at will.

Like his father, he became a minister, preaching at Balquhidder and then taking on the Aberfoyle ministry. His fascination for the magical world of Fairies is what he is remembered for even though he provided the first translation to Gaelic of the book of Psalms.

As per the legend, the inhabitants of the Secret Commonwealth, Fairies and others, were not happy about Reverend Kirk disclosure to their secrets and they planned revenge.

Each day, Reverend Kirk walked from the manse to Doon Hill and one day, in May 1692, very mysteriously, he did not return.

The story tells us that he was taken to the underground world of the Fairies through the pine tree that still exists at the summit of Doon Hill.

It is said that the tree contains his imprisoned spirit.

Doon Hill Pine Tree - Scotiana.com - 2004

The Reverend was out walking one day, upon the faerie knoll known as Doon Hill when he died. His family took his body and laid it to rest. However with the Reverend being so closely involved with the faeries people thought it was too much of a coincidence the location of where he died.

Instead they believed that the faeries had taken his body and left a changeling posing as Reverend Kirk.

It was said that Kirk appeared before his cousin and told him that at the Christening of his child, he would appear. This was the only chance for him to come back to our world. His cousin, Graham, had to throw an iron dagger over Kirk when he appeared.

However at the Christening, Graham was too scared at the sight of the ghostly Kirk and failed to keep his promise. It is now believed that the Reverend Kirk’s soul is still tormented within the Caledonian pine tree which stands on top of Doon Hill.

A place which people still visit to this day to make wishes and leave presents for the faeries.

Gifts to Fairies at the foot of the Pine tree - Scotiana.com - 2006

As well as many interesting and ancient graves (including Rev Kirk’s earthly grave) the local graveyard contains heavy iron coffin covers, a strange thing to find so far from a major city.

Aberfoyle Cemetary - Reverend Kirk Grave - Scotiana.com - 2004

To access the site, up manse road, watch for the signs for Fairy Hill after about 1/4 mile.

Doon Hill Fairy Trail, Aberfoyle - Scotiana.com - 2006

At the top of the hill amongst the trees you can see prayer ribbons that people still leave.

Doon Hill - Ribbons - Scotiana.com - 2004

Doon Hill - Ribbons - Scotiana.com - 2006

A very enchanting walk…by the way, do you believe in Fairies?

…

Fairies - Rackham

Tinker Bell’s wings would scarcely carry her now (…) Every moment her light was growing fainter; and Peter knew that if it went out she would be no more (…)  Her voice was so low that at first he could not make out what she said. Then he made it out. She was saying that she thought she could get well again if children believed in fairies. Peter flung out his arms. There were no children there, and it was night time; but he addressed all who might be dreaming of the Neverland, and who were therefore nearer to him than you think: boys and girls in their nighties, and naked papooses in their baskets hung from trees.

“Do you believe?” he cried.

Tink sat up in bed almost briskly to listen to her fate.

She fancied she heard answers in the affirmative, and then again she wasn’t sure.

“What do you think?” she asked Peter.

“If you believe,” he shouted to them, “clap your hands; don’t let Tink die.”

Many clapped.

Some didn’t.

A few beasts hissed.

The clapping stopped suddenly; as if countless mothers had rushed to their nurseries to see what on earth was happening; but already Tink was saved. First her voice grew strong, then she popped out of bed, then she was flashing through the room more merry and impudent than ever. She never thought of thanking those who believed, but she would have like to get at the ones who had hissed.

(J. M. Barrie ,The Adventures of Peter Pan)

Peter Pan - Sir James M Barrie

You believe in fairies Janice, so do I, you know ! Let’s keep a child’s heart to save Tinker Bell.

I am not against the ‘supernatural’ element in our lives. Why should I ? So vast is our universe and so much of it is still unknown to us. Maybe what we describe as ‘supernatural” is only something that we can’t explain today.

I do like the way Scottish people manage to conciliate in their culture what seems to be at first irreconcilable and to make coexist in a same pattern rational as well as irrational elements.

The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A Justified Sinner - James Hogg

Think to Scottish literature with its recurrent themes of good and evil and man duality. How not to think here of James Hogg’s book  The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner since its gloomy action takes place on Arthur’s Seat.

Don’t forget we’re in Dr Jekyll’s country. Think to contemporary Alasdair Gray’s Lanark too…

It was certainly not by chance that Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous classic tale, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was the first to be chosen for the 1st campaign “One Book – One Edinburgh” in 2008 .

I’m a lover of books, as many of our readers are, I think, so I’ll come back soon to that very exciting literary event not only because it takes place in Edinburgh but also because it is a very interesting example of what can be done everywhere to encourage people to read.

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by R.L. Stevenson

Every literary genre has its own qualities and its adepts. Being a book addict I try to keep open-minded and while I do like the marvellous and the fantastic genres I am not against the realistic approach in literature.

There are Scottish masterpieces in the genre. George Douglas Brown The House with the Green Shutters (1901) is the most famous one and I’ll try to read it soon.

The House With The Green Shutters - George Douglas Brown

What a pity the author died at the age of 33 in 1902. I would have liked to know what he had in mind when he began writing a sequel entitled  The Incompatibles…

We could speak for hours about books and I have still a few anecdotes to tell our readers about the area.

By the way Janice,  since you are an expert in philately, maybe you have something interesting to tell us about stamps depicting  Calton Hill or maybe about Peter Pan?

On Top Of Salisbury Crags

Hi Mairiuna  Come and look at the view! Over there, it’s Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat.

Can you see the path climbing up the hill?  … look… there are people at the top !

Can’t wait to walk up there, be sure to include it in our next itinerary.

I’ve read a few things about the place while waiting for you. Quite interesting indeed. Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags are part of Holyrood Park and we can see the Palace and the Abbey from here.

See how steep the Crags look. These abrupt cliffs were formed more than 340 million years ago.

View of Salisbury Crags from Calton Hill, Edinburgh

You know, they are a favourite place for rock climbers. Better for us to take the so-called Radical road to climb up there. It is said that it was paved by unemployed radical weavers of West Scotland, at Walter Scott’s suggestion.

You know how Scotland is fond of mysterious stories, folk tales and legends. And I have one to tell you which is reputed to have happened here, on Calton Hill: the story of  “ The Fairy Boy of Leith “.

Walter Scott mentions it in his novel,  The Heart Of The Midlothian, but we can trace it back to the 17th century in Richard Bovet’s Pandaemonium also called the Devil’s Cloister (1684).

I first read about it on the Internet  in an article written by Andrew Tibbs for Mysterious Britain & Ireland website . Let me find the printout in my backsack and I will read it out loud for you. Listen to this Mairiuna !

(….) Captain George Burton, whilst staying in Leith, came across a boy known locally as the ‘Fairy Boy’ who had been given the gift of second sight by the fairies. Every Thursday night, the boy would go to Calton Hill (then a remote place between Leith and Edinburgh) where he would enter the hill through huge gates, only visible to those with ‘the fairy gift’ and commune with the fairies.

Fairies - Rackham

At these gatherings the boy would play drums for the little folk who danced and feasted. One Thursday night, the Captain, and some acquaintances, held the boy in conversation, hoping to avert his trip to the hill, but the boy gave them the slip, but was found and brought back to the house, where upon he managed to slip away for a second time. There the story ends with most accounts stating that the boy made off to Calton Hill to once again meet with the fair folk.(….) But Bovet’s original account differs considerably.

Scottish Fairy Tales

There is little useful information in the original account which can indicate whether the story is true or not, with the exception of one point. Burton alleges that the boy went to ‘Yonder Hill’, interpreted as Calton Hill. These days Calton Hill is in the centre of Edinburgh but back then, before Leith became part of Edinburgh, it was between the two areas. Calton Hill sat dominant, amongst the farmland and fields, and in the 18th century the boundaries between Leith and Edinburgh was shrinking and a hundred years later the two were almost joined together. Calton Hill then, as now, has remained relatively undeveloped.

So did the boy enter into the Hill?

In the 1790′s Herman Lion was a Jewish merchant living in Edinburgh. Sometime after 1791 he started looking for a burial plot for himself and his wife. Being Jewish he did not want to be buried in a Christian burial site and appealed to the Town Council to sell himself a piece of land on Calton Hill, and eventually they agreed. 200 years later, the site of Lion’s tomb was rediscovered. The Edinburgh Evening News told the story of two men in the Observatory complex on top of the hill. Apparently they climbed through a rabbit hole and ended up in the tomb. Their description of Lion’s tomb implies that it may have originally have been a cave or fissure. Perhaps this is the cave that the Fairy Boy use to dance in with the fair folk.  (…)

Wow…Fairyland ! Did I ever tell you Mairiuna that I believe in Fairies ?